Pushing boundries

fliptzer

I’m starting my second book, a story about pushing boundaries on sex and sexuality which involves a power struggle between a man and woman who become more and more involved in S&M – kind of along the same line as ‘Crash’ and ‘Secretary’. The opening chapters are very graphic and although I am not trying to write something pornographic I feel that that the intense sex scenes set up the direction of where the story culminates - But I’m a bit worried about being it automatically dismissed as porn or erotica if I finish or worse still being censored due to the content.

Have there been any books lately that have been banned or censored? Or would the Irish market even be interested?

rockbeer

I'm not in the publishing business (not on the publishing side anyway) so this is just an opinion, but fwiw I think it would be extraordinarily unlikely for sexual content to be censored, let alone banned, these days unless it glorifies or celebrates some kind of coercive or non-consensual acts. What you're talking about sounds like the sort of thing anyone can watch on satellite TV every night of the week.

Whether it would get dismissed as porn or erotica depends on how you present the story, surely? IMHO Crash and Secretary are both taken seriously at a cinematic level essentially because of their strong characterization - the sex serves the characters and plot, not the other way round. It's hard to say in your case, not having read your work, but if you keep the characters firmly at the centre you shouldn't have too many problems.

You say it's your second book. Does that mean your first was published? Why don't you talk to your publisher, show your editor some samples? They would probably have a much more informed idea about that sort of thing from a publishing/sales point of view than random internet strangers.

fliptzer

I don't think its anything like on a late night tv show - the whole story is about two people who meet and one is dragged into the other’s world of power and hedonism, boundaries are broken as simple acts become more sexual as the relationship develops into S&M. The power changes as one side wants to reverse the roles while the other doesn’t and they escalate into a dangerous game of one-upmanship.
I’m trying to focus on the relationship and boundaries that keep changing but the graphic sex is a key part of it.

Although this is my second book the first hasn’t been published yet, only recently sent it out but there is nothing similar about this story and I was just curious as to any writers being edited or censored recently.

rockbeer

You miss my point entirely. Your story may have all sorts of literary merit, that's neither her or there. The point is, in case you hadn't noticed, TV is full of S&M these days. It simply isn't controversial subject matter these days, so I don't think you'll have any problems from a censorship point of view. Unless, as I say, it involves glorified coercion.

Not trying to compare your work to crappy TV or anything - how could I? I haven't read it. Just making the point the the subject matter itself is quite commonplace these days.

davyjose

Was your first book published? If so, can you not discuss it with the publishers?

My advice is to go ahead and write the book you want to write, and you'll be happier with that than anything 'designed' to fit in. Your name isn't Cecelia Ahern, right? Lol, seriously though, be more concerned that it makes YOU happy and passes your own standards, than those of some publisher.

One of my favourite novels is American Psycho; I've read a bit of erotica in my time, but American Psycho is a thousand times more envelope-pushing than anything like that. If you're a good writer, you'll seperate yourself. Simple as.